I feel like I can be objective about these things. I’m obviously not a neutral observer, but I know when my guy is winning or losing. From where I sat, John Kerry not only won last night, he dominated.
Kerry was in complete control of the entire debate, from start to finish. Of the three events, this was probably Bush’s least awful performance, but it was also Kerry’s best showing by far. Bush lost the Miami debate primarily on his own — he stumbled, blinked, and stammered his way through 90 minutes of embarrassment. Bush lost the Tempe debate because Kerry simply overwhelmed him. It wasn’t even close.
It may have taken Bush three tries to find his comfort zone (debate 1, too cold; debate 2, too hot), but if this was Bush at his best, it leaves much to be desired. I realize that the man has only had to endure three difficult campaigns in his adult life (’94, ’00, and ’04), and that the art of the dodge is a tricky one. But someone probably should have told him that education policy is not the correct answer to questions that have nothing to do with education.
Bob Schieffer asked, “What do you say to someone in this country who has lost his job to someone overseas who’s being paid a fraction of what that job paid here in the United States?” The crux of Bush’s answer dealt with No Child Left Behind and “raising standards” in public schools. Schieffer asked about raising the minimum wage; Bush responded by talking about No Child Left Behind and kids “being shuffled through the school[s].” Schieffer asked about the need for affirmative action. Bush’s answer: “We’ve expanded Pell Grants by a million students.”
And when Bush couldn’t think of a way to work education into an unrelated question, he just ignored the question altogether. When asked how he’d pay for partial Social Security privatization, Bush couldn’t (or wouldn’t) say. When asked if he thought Roe v. Wade should be overturned, Bush refused to answer.
Kerry, for the first time of the three events, really called Bush on his evasiveness. When Bush blew off the question about job losses, Kerry said, “I want you to notice how the president switched away from jobs and started talking about education.” When Bush dodged the Roe v. Wade issue, Kerry said, “The president didn’t answer the question…. Clearly, the president wants to leave in ambivalence or intends to undo it.” In previous debates, Bush dodges went unnoticed; last night, Kerry wasn’t going to let Bush get away with anything.
Stylistically, Kerry was virtually flawless. He’s obviously proven himself to be capable, knowledgeable, and articulate, but more importantly, Kerry has excelled in using the debates the same way Reagan did in 1980 — he proved himself presidential.
That annoying podium light has turned out to be the most valuable tool of the campaign. Kerry’s answers last night were crisp and clear. Every response was focused almost perfectly.
Perhaps most importantly, Kerry shed some of his worst habits and came across with, dare I say it, warmth. He joked about “marrying up,” for example, while noting, “I can sometimes take myself too seriously.” These are the comments of a relaxed and confident candidate.
Bush was far better than he was in the last two, but he still had an annoying quirk. Miami’s was the stammering, St. Louis’ was the shouting, last night’s was the school-boy’s giggle. Could anyone find that charming or presidential? You know it’s a problem when Bob Novak, of all people, says, “Bush’s chuckles are not so good.”
If this was supposed to be the debate performance that set Bush on the right track for the next three weeks, it was a disaster. After all, in the modern era, has there ever been a candidate who won three debates in a row and then lost the election? I don’t think so.